Reading time: approx. 8 min. | by Asoka Fernando

BARF for Cats – A Case Study (Part 2 of 2)

In Part 1 of our cat BARF case study we covered the basics of a weekly BARF diet. Today, we want to take a closer look at a weekly BARF diet for cats. Of course, it’s easier to tear open a bag of dry food than to put thought into feeding your cat. But it pays off—at the very latest when you find yourself constantly taking your purring friend to the vet and having to pay sometimes exorbitant veterinary bills. Cats’ weak spot is their kidneys. Cats that live indoors and are fed exclusively dry food often develop kidney problems. As desert animals, they naturally drink very little, and if you feed them a lot of dry food, you’re putting your cat in a state of constant dehydration.

The solution is simple!

A few basic principles of cat feeding are essential—then you’re good to go.

I calculate the daily food ration based on my cat’s body weight. I multiply this by 7, because the cat is fed the daily food amount in smaller portions throughout the day (even multiple times).

Here’s an example using my 3.5 kg house cat:

• 3,500 g x 4% = 140 g daily food amount
• 140 g x 95% = 133 g animal content—this is the portion consisting of muscle meat, fat, bone meal, blood, and dietary fiber.
• 140 g x 5% = 7 g; this is the plant-based portion, which can consist of fruit, vegetables, psyllium husks, or chia seeds.
• My shopping list is therefore either a weekly shopping list (quantities x 7) or a monthly shopping list (quantities x 30).

Let’s work together to create a detailed weekly shopping list for my cat, who weighs 3.5 kg:

• The daily food ration is 140 g
• 133 g of that is the animal-based portion
  • 70% muscle meat, including chicken hearts, preferably ground, with 20% fat—that comes to 93 g x 7 = 651 g of meat, which should contain about 130 g of fat. To make it easier for us, we’ll round it down to 650 g, subtract 130 g, leaving 520 g of pure meat, and then add another 130 g of fat.
• If you recall, we calculated a daily ration of 20 g for the RFK; that comes to 20 g × 7 for the week, or 140 g. When shopping, we’d probably round up to 150 g or 200 g, since package sizes only contain fixed quantities.
• Now we still need the organ meats. We calculated a daily requirement of 15 g above and now calculate 15 g × 7 = 105 g, which we round down to 100 g. This results in 50 g of liver and 50 g of spleen and kidneys. However, we can also feed 100 g of spleen and kidneys, or just spleen or kidneys, or even just 100 g of liver. This doesn’t have to be taken too strictly.
• 7 g of that is plant-based; we can measure it precisely or simply round it up to 10 g. If we round it up to 10 g, that comes to 10 × 7 g, or 70 g of dietary fiber for the week.

My shopping list at the BARF shop for my 3.5 kg cat’s weekly ration would then look like this—there are 2 options:

1. Short on time? Then I’ll go with a ready-made cat BARF meal! In that case, I’ll choose the pre-packaged, ready-made cat meals. I might add a little butter or salmon oil to spice it up.  The number of servings can vary, so I buy enough cat meals to last at least one week –

or

2. I put together my own cat meal plan based on the list I just created above. I then buy
   • 500 g – 1 kg of pure muscle meat (available pre-packaged; 1 kg covers 2 weeks for me, so I need to keep at least 500 g frozen, and I put the rest in a storage container and keep it in the refrigerator).
     Our Product Recommendation: Dr. Ziegler’s Minced Turkey Wing Meat, 500 g
   • 100–200 g fat (available pre-packaged at well-stocked BARF stores).
     Our product recommendation: Dr. Ziegler's BARF Sheep/Lamb Fat Cubes 500 g
2. • 200 g organic chicken necks, ground, here I can get the 500 g package, which will give me RFK for more than 2 weeks.
     Our Product Tip: Dr. Ziegler’s BARF – Organic Chicken Necks 500 g
   • 100 g offal mix; for example, a 150 g cup of “Organic Chicken Offal” works well here.
     Our product recommendation: Dr. Ziegler's BARF - Organic Chicken Offal Mix 250 g
   • 7 g fiber; here we use 50 g or 100 g of psyllium husks or a ready-made, natural fiber blend.
     Our product recommendation: Dr. Ziegler’s Fiber Plus 250 g
   • 0.5–2 ml of salmon oil, krill oil, or similar daily in the food ration. As a rule of thumb, 1 teaspoon (tsp) equals about 5 ml (milliliters) of salmon oil; for example, it’s available in 250 ml, 500 ml, or 1000 ml bottles. If I feed 2 ml daily, a 500 ml bottle will last me about one month (25 days).
     Our product recommendation: Dr. Ziegler’s Salmon Oil 500 ml or Dr. Ziegler’s Liquid Krill Oil 250 ml

Here’s an overview again:

In conclusion, while feeding cats a BARF diet requires careful planning and preparation, the health benefits for the cat are significant. A customized diet can help reduce common health issues, such as kidney problems, and improve the cat’s overall vitality and quality of life. With a carefully planned weekly ration and the right balance of animal and plant-based ingredients—including essential nutrients and oils—we ensure a species-appropriate and balanced diet for our purring companions. So the effort is well worth it—not only for the cat’s health, but also for a harmonious relationship between humans and animals. Choosing BARF can therefore be seen as an important step toward more mindful and responsible pet ownership.

If you missed our first case study on BARF for cats, you’re welcome to read this blog post again >>here<<